Disclaimer: I do not own GS/D.

"I'm sorry Cagalli, that's not what I was trying to say," Shinn apologized once again to receive yet another scowl from Cagalli.

They had finally arrived at the restaurant after an awfully quiet ride, where they were lead to their seats by a smiling waiter. He noticed that Cagalli immediately took the menu, held it open in such a way that her face was hidden from him. So, she's going to continue her silent treatment?

Argh! Maybe he had deserved it. I am definitely an idiot.

He hadn't meant it as an offense. He had just been so surprised by her appealing appearance that what he had tried to convey – his appreciation – had come out wrong. She had blown up, figuratively, glaring at him when she replied through gritted teeth, "Why, thank you. You look like a guy yourself." And since then, she had kept silent.

I guess I must consider myself lucky that she didn't decide to call off the date…

"Look, Cags, I'm really sorry if I offended you," he tried once again. He had understood that she could be pretty stubborn, but he was going to show her that he could be as obstinate as her. "But," he continued, when she showed no sign of wavering, "I meant it as a compliment…"

Still no sign.

"Huh, I don't know how I'm going to say this without sounding too shallow but…" he paused letting out a nervous chuckle, "I was just blown away when I saw you dressed like that…"

Still no sign.

"You see, you're always in baggy pants, and well, I already thought you were pretty awesome like that… but in this outfit, you were just, I mean, you are just… wow, mind-blowing…" he paused again, blushing at the fact that he had had to admit that, "I couldn't get my thoughts straight…"

Still no sign.

He sighed in defeat. Okay, maybe she's more bullheaded than me. To his apprehension, he had run out of justifications. And worst, he had just told her, on their first date, that he thought she was mind-blowing. She must think I'm really desperate.

But then, unexpectedly, he saw the menu being lowered from her face.

"I'm ready to order," she said coolly, all sound of hostility faded from her voice, her visage a little pinkish.

"Okay," he smiled, cheering inwardly, while prompting the waiter to come and take their order.

No more mistakes now.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Cagalli had felt insulted. Why had he asked her out if he didn't think she originally looked like a girl? So what if she liked wearing pants and hoodies? That didn't mean that she was not a girl! Argh, she couldn't believe that her initial conceptions about Shinn had all been wrong.

He was just like the other boys, one who'd judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a girl by her skirt.

Disillusioned and terribly disappointed, she still didn't have the stomach to call off the date. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and it'd be ridiculous to refuse some free food, right?

So, she had accompanied him to that restaurant, and ignored all the apologies he tried to make during the ride. In any case, he quickly gave up, most probably because of the nosy taxi driver who would keep on staring at them in his rearview mirror…

And while she had expected the lunch to be spent in the same quietness, she was surprised when Shinn resumed apologizing. He had been so cute; telling her all the things that she had wanted to hear, that she once thought she'd only hear him say in her dreams… So much that she finally gave in. With a small smile, she eventually lowered the menu and did what all teenage girls of her age would have done in her situation. She forgave him.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

They finally agreed on ordering some butter chicken and two bowls of basmati rice. Shinn was grateful that Cagalli seemed to have gotten over her small tantrum. They were now both sitting at a candle-lit table, conversing comfortably while appreciating the nice aroma of spices which filled the room.

"The mood here is really nice." Cagalli stated, taking in the decorative work they had done inside. There were some green plants here and there, and the room was painted in a dark mauve colour, with golden globes hanging from the ceiling. All in all, with traditional Indian songs playing in the background, the atmosphere was really cozy.

"Yeah, and the food is delicious too," Shinn gave her a small smile. "Khan Kitchen just opened though… So it's still pretty unheard of…" he continued, motioning his hand as if to explain why the restaurant was half-empty.

Cagalli's inner self couldn't help but note that this place could become a potential rival to her own restaurant. She made a mental reminder to talk to Kisaka about her concerns later on. But for now, her plan was to wait for the food in Shinn's good company and enjoy her day.

However, her plan was voided when the chef presented himself to their table.

"Namaste," he greeted politely, "I'm Mr. Khan, and this is my restaurant…"

He was impressively built and looked more like a wrestler than a chef. They returned his greeting.

"Are you by any chance Miss Yula Athha, daughter of the late Chef Nara Athha?" he asked in thickly accented English.

Cagalli nodded.

"Well then, I'm sorry but I'll have to ask you to leave," he ordered, sounding very apologetic indeed. "We don't want spies from other restaurants on our territory."

"Excuse me, chef, but I am not a spy," she tried to reason. "Don't you think you're going too far by as - "

But she didn't continue when she saw three sous-chefs (as impressively built as their chef) appear suddenly to back up Mr Khan. Intimidation, huh?

"We're not leaving," Shinn suddenly declared, getting up from his chair.

The three men started approaching their table at his statement.

"It's alright Shinn, let's just leave," Cagalli finally said when she saw the determined look on Shinn's face. She quickly got up and looping her arms around his, she dragged him towards the exit.

"I didn't know Chefs could be that paranoid," he said gloomily.

"And you haven't even met Kisaka," she thought, smiling at her own joke.

She was as pissed as him, but she knew that she could not do anything about it. The actual scene had happened more than once already. She could never go to another restaurant without being suspected of being a spy. As if 'Le Plaisir du Palais' really needed that to be the best in town…

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"I'm sorry," Shinn finally said when they were outside.

"Huh?" Cagalli looked at him blankly.

"I bet that's the worst first date you've ever had, right?" he sighed. "No, don't answer that… I don't wanna know…"

She could not believe her ears. He was actually taking the blame for what had happened. He could have challenged those men for her. And they had been HUGE. It was more than flattering, though she hadn't actually asked him for his help…

And now he was apologizing when it had been her fault they had been kicked out of the restaurant. She had definitely been an idiot earlier. Shinn was not like the other guys. And the crush she harbored for him was steadily developing into something more by each minute she spent next to him.

"Look, Shinn," she confidently started as she remembered Meer's advices on relationships. "You were pretty courageous in there… Those men could have taken you down but you still stood up against them…" she reassured, taking his hand in between hers.

"Don't worry; it wasn't your fault… And just so you know; this is my first date ever. So I wouldn't be able to compare anyway," she smiled, then with a look at her watch she continued, "And… you still have time to make it my best first date ever… Don't you have some other plans?"

Shinn realized what she had just said; she was giving him another chance to prove himself. With the decision to make the best out of it, he lowered his eyes and gazed at the megawatt smile she was directing to him. It was at that particular moment that he knew he had irrevocably fallen for her.

"Thanks Cagalli," he said pulling her towards him.

Maybe that was gesture was too intimate for a first date, but he didn't care.

He wrapped her in his arms.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Her heart was thumping loudly against her rib-cage. Oh My God! She was going to hyperventilate. Like, seriously.

Shinn was hugging her! Shinn, as in her crush. And she was not actually dreaming.

Maybe I should give that book a try… Confidence is indeed the key to success.

She was standing stiff as a stick but was ecstatic. Eventually, she succeeded in relaxing against his chest.

It was only then that she noticed that this hug lacked of something. It was nothing like the one she had shared with Alex. Alex had made her feel protected, safe and… loved, if she dared say. But with Shinn, it felt more like a friendly hug.

Why can't I help myself from comparing the two of them?

She felt miserable for doing so. She couldn't even enjoy a moment she had long been waiting for because of her indecisiveness.

Sigh…

In the end, she decided that the best would be to pull away from him. And she did, as gently as she could; smiling at him as she said in a regretful tone she hoped he didn't catch, "No worries."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

He finally led her to a park after treating her to some hotdogs. It was not their usual one; this one was smaller but also less hectic. Or maybe it was just empty because of the weather. The blue sky had almost completely disappeared behind the dark spot of grey clouds. It was obvious that the rain would soon come as a spoilsport.

He pulled her over to the centre of a green field, and plopped down on his back. She looked at him, and raised an eyebrow. "What are we doing here?"

He reached out for her and yanked her down when she gave him her hand. "Let's wait for the rain."

She nearly fell on top of him and blushed as she turned over so that she was now lying beside him. "Are you serious?"

"Serious as hell," he smiled as he shifted positions in order to face her.

"We're crazy," she grinned, accepting his idea.

"I know…"

So they both lied there, facing the dark sky as they waited for the rain. They didn't wait long though. Small drops of water soon started to fall.

"You know, we could get sick, suffer from pneumonia and die…" Cagalli suddenly said.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you if you get sick…"

"I'm sure you would," she smiled. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah," he said prompting her to continue.

"Why did you ask me out?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, not having expected that question. He couldn't possibly tell her that his interest in her had started from a conversation he had overheard now, could he?

"Well, it's just that we spent one year doing the same subject… and you never looked, hm… interested… Don't tell me that you only noticed me because of my stunt in the park," she joked but he could tell that she really wanted an answer.

So he decided to give her a partial truth, "In fact, it was only then that I realized that I'd like to know you better, that I liked spending time with you… Shame on me for losing so much time, huh?"

She laughed, seemingly satisfied with his answer.

So they continued to talk, about everything and nothing. He told her about his parents, she told him she had lost hers. He talked about Mayu, she told him that Lacus would be coming back with Kira the day after. The convo strayed to their favourite shows, colours, types of music… They learned that they had more in common than just their stubbornness. Both utterly at ease with each other, not minding at all of getting all drenched, they wouldn't have been aware of the passing hours hadn't Shinn's phone started ringing.

"I'm the loose bolt of a complete machine…"

He sat up and Cagalli did the same.

"Sorry, it's Mayu," he excused himself.

Cagalli nodded and he answered.

"Hello?" he frowned, sighed and with an 'ok' he ended the call.

"Sorry Cags, she needs me at – " but stopped dead in his tracks when he lifted his eyes and looked at her.

He gulped. She's going to kill me. He swears he hadn't thought about that when he had proposed to lie under the rain. In his defense, she had agreed. So, it was not his fault that her blouse was now sticking to her body, giving a perfect view on her bra. Damn! If she had been amazing before, now she was just delectably sexy.

He let out a shaky breath as he willed himself to avert his eyes. Blushing like crazy, he quickly took off the jacket he had been wearing and handed it to her.

"You should probably wear this," he said his eyes never leaving the damp grass.

She immediately snatched the jacket and put it on.

"I can't believe you're such a perv," she finally exclaimed as she glared at him.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I hadn't thought about that at all?"

Another glare.

"I thought so…" he said as he got up. He offered her a hand which she accepted.

Still, he didn't let go of her hand when she was finally up. He grinned when she gave him yet another glare.

"Thanks for today, Cagalli," he said truthfully, gazing at her tenderly. Of course, it was only then that Cagalli noticed their closeness.

She forced herself to breathe normally, though her heart beat was speeding up again and she was starting to feel the warmth spread from her face down to her neck.

"Well, I should be the one thanking you," she answered feebly, avoiding his gaze.

His gaze never left her face, and she suddenly became painfully aware of the fact that his head was lowering down towards her. Her heart nearly missed a beat, and feeling her stomach flip, she closed her eyes. She could no longer see his face but he was certainly leaning in to her unbearably slowly.

Is he going to kiss me?

She could already feel his breath warming her lips where seconds earlier, the droplets of rain had left them cold. But then a huge roar came from the sky. And then another one. She quickly opened her eyes, leaning back as the picture of a blue haired guy came in her mind.

Shinn had also leaned back.

"Looks like there's a thunderstorm coming…" he said, letting out a ragged breath.

"Yeah," she replied dumbly, uneasily playing with the hem of his jacket.

"It's getting late. Maybe I should walk you home before heading to the store…" he said, more like a statement than a question.

But she still replied, "No, you head back first. Mayu needs you there, right? Plus it's not that far from here, I'll just take the bus."

He nodded and finally released the hand he had been holding. But before he left, he swiftly leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, "You wouldn't mind me taking you out again, right?"

Cagalli didn't think she could trust her voice. Therefore, she only nodded.

"As my girlfriend?" he asked again.

This time she couldn't even trust her head to nod.

"I'll take your silence as a 'yes'," Shinn grinned before leaving.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

She was still in a daze when she reached the bus station.

Shinn had almost kissed her.

Shinn had asked her for another date.

Shinn had asked her to become his girlfriend.

Could all that be real?

She was feeling a little afraid of waking up to realize that all that had only been a dream. No, this is real, not a dream! She wanted to grin but ended up sighing contentedly. Maybe she should call Meyrin to announce the great news… Because she was happy. Really… Shinn's a great guy… She had no right to be anything else than happy.

She would have done just that hadn't an operator's voice resonated through the speakers within the whole station. "Due to an accident, Route 36 has been temporarily closed. We wish to apologize for any inconvenience."

Route 36?

That was the route her bus took to bring her home. She stood up from the bench she had been sitting on, and mentally weighed her options.

She could still walk home. But on foot, her apartment was about 30 minutes away from there. Or, she could walk to Alex's, which was about 5 minutes away…

It didn't take long before she made her decision.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Athrun was lying down on his bed, busily staring at the ceiling.

He closed his eyes and sighed.

Opening them, he resumed staring at the ceiling.

A day without her and I'm already bored to death.

He hadn't even touched the game pads… Without her, all those little things in life seemed insipid.

So much for strengthening my resolve…

He sighed once again, closing his eyes. But surprise immediately made him open them when he heard three knocks on the door of his room.

Sitting up on his bed, he had no time to answer before the door was flung open, and in came Cagalli, wearing one of his bathrobes. His breath hitched. With her damp hair she looked incredibly sexy, and he vaguely wondered whether the tablets he had taken had side effects which included hallucinations.

"Good evening," said the Cagalli from his imagination.

He stared at her while she moved towards him and finally sat on his bed some inches from him. But he didn't answer. He was not going to acknowledge that he was losing his sanity.

"Alex?" she waved a hand in front of his face, concern apparent on hers.

Athrun noted that she looked just like the real one. He wondered if his tactile senses were active in that illusion.

Therefore, with his index finger, he poked her on the nose.

"Ouch," she cried out, "are you crazy?"

She scowled and did the same thing to him.

"You are real?" said Athrun in an incredulous tone.

"No, I'm an alien robot," she sneered, glaring at him.

Okay, so she is the real one alright… but…

"What are you doing here?" he asked in all seriousness.

"I got caught in the thunderstorm… I thought you wouldn't mind me coming here till it passes…" and pointing towards the bathrobe, she explained, "my clothes were soaked… they're in the dryer…"

"Okay, I do not mind," he smiled.

"Cool then," she said. "Have you eaten yet?"

When he shook his head, she quickly exited his room to come back a few minutes later with two bowls of cheese macaroni.

No, she hadn't forgotten that she'd have to make him quit from returning to his hermit habits.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

She followed him in bed and with her bowl in hand, sat with her back against the bed head. She had just copied his posture but he didn't even comment on such a childish act.

"Are you ignoring me?" she therefore asked.

"I'm not," he smiled, bringing the fork to his mouth.

Still with your polite act, huh?

"How was your day?"

"Good, and yours?" he replied.

"Great," she smiled sweetly.

Argh! She was going to lose her calm if he continued. Okay… Questions don't work on him… Let's small talk… But what could she talk about? Ah! She smiled.

"Do you know about Meer Campbell?"

At his blank look she continued. "Ha, I knew you didn't. She's a famous pop singer turned writer who now writes books on relationships…"

"Really?" he asked courteously, showing even less interest than she had shown when Mey had told her about Meer.

"Yeah, and now she's now with a certain Heine something, who's in a band."

"Oh," he remarked.

"Do you know how she got famous?"

"How?"

"There was a rumour she was dating someone even more popular…"

"Who?"

"Athrun Zala."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

He almost dropped his bowl. No, she can't have learned the truth. He felt his heart rate speed up and his palms became sweaty.

"Alex?" she asked seeing his ghostly face.

What does she know?

"Athrun Zala?" he managed to squeak.

"Yeah," she smiled again, mistaking his malaise for excess interest. "He's," she paused, using air quotes, "'like the sexiest man alive' or something… He's supposedly perfect in every way and women would pay be to be next to him, or touch his long hair…" she added in mocked admiration before chuckling.

Athrun let out a breath he had no idea he had been holding. Looks like she doesn't know who she's talking about. He smiled inwardly, his resolve to keep his distances completely forgotten. He'd decided to be himself with her. Just this last once, he tried to convince himself.

"Seems like someone's got a crush?" he asked humorously.

"Oh, no!" she waved her hands in front of herself, shaking her head. "I've just got a friend who's a huge fan of him…" She couldn't help but beam when she realized that her Alex was back. "Anyway, I'm sure the guy's some kind of rich idiotic hunk with as much personality as his sports car. So, not my type," she concluded.

"What's your type then?" he asked, more seriously than intended.

He was gazing at her intently, as if her answer would be holding the key to his future.

And due to that, she didn't think before telling him the truth, "You are…" which she tried to amend when she realized what she had just said.

"I mean… someone like you… who'd be hm, intelligent and good-looking and funny… and," she stopped, burying her warm and surely reddish face in her hands. Oh God! She couldn't believe she was embarrassing herself like that; when she already knew that he didn't feel the same, when she now had a boyfriend…

She quickly, got off his bed and seizing his bowl, she excused herself and went straight to the kitchen, leaving a more than pleased Athrun behind.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

She was still avoiding his gaze when she came back and sat on the edge of his bed.

"It's already late and I don't think the weather will get any better… So, I'll just call a taxi and…" she trailed finally looking at him. She was just a few inches from him, but she felt closer under the intensity of his stare. "Hm, thanks," she bowed.

She was about to get up when he reached for her hand.

"Stay with me tonight," he whispered, his eyes darkening with emotion.

What am I doing?

He should let her go. He should keep her at a distance. He should not be inviting her to stay.

"I - ," she blushed, staring at him, "what do you mean?"

"I can't let you leave in such a weather… Kira would kill me," he finally said, using the 'Kira' card once again.

"Oh," she simply stated. A sleepover… Right, what had I been thinking? Friends often did that.

"Sure," she then added, "I'll just take the couch…"

But he didn't release her hand when she was ready to go.

"I think the bed should be big enough for two."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Athrun had had no perverted intentions when he invited her to stay over. In any case, he liked to think that he had too much respect for her to even think that way… for now. He just didn't want her to leave so soon, and he was also a little worried of letting her leave in such a bad weather. He was protective of her and was pleased when she didn't take his suggestion badly.

She had agreed to share the bed with him, because they were friends and friends could do that.

So there he was, in his bed, trying his best to ignore her sleeping form. Still, he was kinda thankful that he had got her to change into an old t-shirt and a pair of his sweatpants. It was somewhat easier to have her fully dressed next to him.

Why did I even suggest that? Am I some kind of masochist?

He closed his eyes, and breathed in while mentally begging to God that sleep would come for him.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

She opened her eyes to find out that she was still dreaming. Alex was facing her, his arm lovingly wrapped around her waist and their legs tangled in each other's. His eyes were still closed but he had a small smile on his lips. Simply gorgeous.

She couldn't help but let out a contented sigh as she buried her head against his chest. That was the best damn dream she had ever made. Seriously.

She slowly kissed his chest through his t-shirt and smiled against him when she heard him moan. Wait! She immediately pulled back a little, suddenly aware of their surroundings. That's not a dream.

Weak sunlight was flickering through the thick curtains of his dark red room. Right, we're still in his room. Where he had invited her the night before to stay over, for a friendly sleepover.

Oh My God! And to think that she had… Her heart started thumping again, more quickly and loudly this time. She couldn't think straight when he was… when they were… God, she needed to pull away… but she also wanted to kiss him, desperately.

She breathed in, trying to steady her beating heart. Forcing thoughts of her boyfriend, Shinn to her head, she finally mustered the common sense to pull back. But she lost it all when he tightened his grip on her waist and kissed her hair gently.

"Morning Cags," he whispered sleepily, his eyes still closed.

She knew that it had been a friendly gesture, but she didn't want to think about it, she didn't want to think about anything right now. No consequences, no nothing.

Hesitantly, she cupped his cheek, allowing her hand to linger over his young stubble.

She closed her eyes as his widened.

And then, she leaned in and kissed him.

Author's Note:

Hey there people. This chapter is the longest I've written so far. I hope you appreciated it. Lost some sleeping nights on that… So I'd like some feedback, ok? And please tell me if I've rushed things for Cags and Athrun. I don't think so but… well I'd like to get your views on it…

The song (Shinn's ringtone) is 'Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes' by the band Fall Out Boy. It's also currently my ringtone. I love Patrick Stump (this guy's got a pretty awesome voice) and the band (though I liked them better when they were still relatively unknown). I'd suggest you listen to 'Stay with me tonight' by Houston Calls for the last parts of the chapter…

Hm, so… it's been exactly one year since I started posting 'Assignment'. Time surely flies… Thanks to all those who've been there; reviewing, reading, fav-ing, and 'alerting' this since the beginning. Once again, you're the reason why I'd been writing.

On a side note, I've been re-reading my earlier chapters to refresh my memory about the earlier events, and – OMG – I was shocked by the number of typos/mistakes I've left. I think I should change my alias to 'Queen of Typos' or something. In any case, I wish to apologize to you for them all.

Anyway, now come the serious news. I've noticed that the number of reviews I usually receive has dropped considerably for the last chapter. Don't worry; I'm not the type of author who'll blackmail you into reviewing before I post a new chapter. The truth is that I totally understand that:

1. my inconstant updates or

2. my lack of originality or

3. whatever other reason,

has led you to lose interest in this fic.

In fact, I have also somehow lost my initial enthusiasm/inspiration to write it. I feel like I'm writing a dull little cliché which is so predictable that I can't even make you appreciate it anymore. So, I am sorry, but I'll be doing what I should have done a loooong time ago. I'm placing this fic on indefinite hiatus.

Dearest reviewers, I'd still like to thank you for your support till now. I can't even tell you how much I'm grateful for all the reviews you've sent me. I've even created a special folder where I've saved them all. Yeah, my brother thinks I'm weird for doing that, but that's just how much I appreciate all the lovely words you've sent to me. Thanks once again and sorry for letting you down if you wanted this fic to be completed. (It will be… eventually… hopefully…)

Special thanks to: ASUKA-CHANNIES, missfk21, Strata-Assassin, pinkberry, katkat, HadesThroneHeiress and SamuraiGirl7 who've helped me develop ideas for this fic.

Well then, I'll leave you here, till my muse comes back again…

Much love and thanks for reading!